Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Hosts World Tourism Day Symposium

By Witness A. Phiri

Lupane State University is hosting a symposium today in honor of World Tourism Day, under the theme “Tourism and Peace.” The event brings together key stakeholders from the tourism sector, government, and academia to explore how tourism can contribute to peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

The symposium aims to promote collaboration and dialogue between experts, policymakers, and industry leaders. It will focus on the ways tourism can be used as a tool for fostering peace, enhancing community development, and resolving conflicts.

A keynote address will be delivered by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Hon. Tongai Mnangagwa, on behalf of the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Hon. Barbara Rwodzi. The event will also see participation from several top universities across Zimbabwe, including Chinhoyi University of Technology, Midlands State University, the University of Zimbabwe, and the host, Lupane State University. These institutions will share their research and insights on how tourism can contribute to peacebuilding.

By hosting this important symposium, Lupane State University highlights Zimbabwe’s commitment to using tourism as a driver for peace and sustainable development.

World Tourism Day is celebrated annually on September 27. This observance began in 1980, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of the Organization in 1970, which paved the way for the establishment of UN Tourism five years later.